Laguna Blanca Falls Short in CIF Soccer Semifinals

Playing in their third straight road playoff game, the top-seeded Owls fell to Santa Clara, 3-2, in the Division 7 semifinals at Ventura College.

Santa Clara’s Braulio De Anda scored a game-tying goal just before the halftime whistle and tallied two more inside 20 minutes of the second half. After missing on a couple of good opportunities in the 70th and 72nd minute, Owls got one back on an own goal in the last five minutes. They had one more chance on an Ethan Tyng '18 header in the final minute but his attempt went wide.

Santa Clara (19-5-2) advances to Saturday’s championship match against Victor Valley. Laguna Blanca ends a terrific season with a 17-2-1 record.

“It hasn’t been easy for us all post-season long,” Laguna Blanca coach Gof Boyoko said. “We’ve had to go away to get where we are right now. I wish we had gotten a home game.”

The Owls were unlucky in coin-flips and the draw after each round. Their only home game was in the first round.

Boyoko, however, wasn’t using that as an excuse. The Owls had their chances to score more goals in the second half. Tyng had a beautiful finish off a Luke Smillie '17 free kick nullified by an offsides call five minutes into the half. Later, Tyng received a terrific through pass from Fatta Koroma '20 and blasted a shot that was parried by Santa Clara goalie Gabriel Virgen. A minute later, Tyng got the ball in the box and drilled a shot that sailed over the cross bar.

“That’s sports,” Boyoko said. “He saved us the game before with two chances and he put them away and we won 4-2. Today, he could have done the same thing, but it is what it is. I’m proud of him and the whole team.”

Tyng set up Laguna Blanca’s first goal in the 20th minute. Sulaiman Bah '20 ripped a free kick from about 20 yards on goal that was blocked Virgen. Tyng collected the rebound on the left side of the goal and hit a low cross to the far post where Josh Baron '19 poked it in for a 1-0 Owls’ lead.

Santa Clara almost tied it but a header by Lukas Laurinavicius hit the bottom of the post.

The Saints put heavy pressure on the Laguna defense after a free kick into the box in the 30th minute. They took three cracks at scoring but were denied by goalie Kelvin Chen '18 on the first shot and by defenders on the other two. Chen later made a big save on Santa Clara’s Christian Garcia.

“That’s the worst time to concede a goal,” said Boyoko.

Santa Clara carried the momentum into the second half and scored the go-ahead goal when the Owls couldn’t clear the ball out of their area. Onofre Pulido hit a hard lined drive that was deflected and De Anda put it away for a 2-1 lead in the 49th minute.

The same duo combined again for the Saints 12 minutes later on a free kick. Pulido drove the ball low and hard at the goal and De Anda put the finishing touch on it for a 3-1 advantage.

Laguna Blanca made it 3-2 off a well-struck free kick by Smillie. Tyng made the run toward the goal but De Anda beat him to the ball and headed it into the net for an own goal.

Santa Clara hung on in the final seconds and denied the Owls a trip to the finals for the second time in three years.

Boyoko said the tough defeat will only make the Owls hungrier next season.

“It’s a young team. We have only three seniors, so we’re going to come back next year and make sure we close it down.”